Morgan Freeman's voiceover narration is a signature of this movie, but what always stays with me is the intense power of Tim Robbin's quiet portrayal, of the wrongly imprisoned escapologist Andy Dufresne. A patient rebel, slowly chipping away at oppressive corrupt power under the cover of his compliant, conventional persona.

"Straight to the pool room," is just one of The Castle's many quotable lines (and the name of this website). This cinematic treasure, from the master storytellers at Working Dog Productions, deserves pride of place in a collection of the funniest and most touching movies. The tale of Australian everyman Darryl Kerrigan's battle to save his family's home from compulsory acquisition, never seems to age.

Francis Ford Coppola's brilliant inter-generational saga tells the story of the fictional Italian American mafia Corleone family. In 2024 I rewatched this series for the first time in decades, expecting it to seem dated but it was as compelling as ever. A powerful cast includes Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keating, Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia, Bridget Fonda, Robert Duvall and James Caan.

This majestic cinematic interpretation of Tolkein's epic redefined how the fantasy genre would come to be depicted on the big screen. And restored my faith in the ability of a great Director to bring a literary classic to life.

Not just the highly stylized violence but tight scripts, perfect pacing and plot arcs that grab attention and come together in glorious gut punches - these are my favourite films from Trantino's unique filmography:

Watch trailers: Django Unchained | Inglorious Basterds |Kill Bill Volume 1 & Volume 2 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Pulp Fiction 

Thirteen years old, in Brisbane's long-gone Paris Cinema, I watched the opening crawl as it set up the original story in what would become one of my favourite TV and movie universes. Then the Tantive IV raced away acrosss the darkness of space, followed glowing laser bolts...and then...the massive Imperial Star Destroyer!

I've loved every Star Wars movie, despite (or perhaps because of) the cheesy dialogue, the frequent plot holes and a mix of characters that range from highly watchable to barely credible. But the Gareth Edwards-directed Rogue One marked a return to the compelling storytelling that characterised The Empire Strikes Back and to some degree Revenge of the Sith.

The 80s sci-fi action comedy succeeded not just because of its unique premise and finely-crafted script, but for the casting that enabled vital chemistry between key characters. Michael J Fox (Marty McFly) and Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown) were the main pairing but Fox's on-screen interplay with Thomas Francis Wilson Jr (bully Biff Tanner), was especially convincing.

The sequel to James Cameron's sci-fi horror epic Alien, this movie was more polished and landed with greater impact. Perfectly paced, the scariest moments were delivered through the right balance of special effects, music and convincing acting.

I was first drawn to George Lucas's 1981 swashbuckling action film Raiders of the Lost Ark because it was a new vehicle for Star Wars A-lister Harrison Ford. But the fast-paced action, quip-filled dialogue and chemistry of the main leads (Ford and Karen Allen) placed this near the top of my list in its own right. Followed three years later by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and in another five by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this 80s trilogy is one of my favourite movie series. 

From 2008 to 2019, Marvel Studios produced a three-phase stream of 21 movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the epic tale of heroes who stood against the titan Thanos and his attempt to eliminate half the population of the universe. These movies, consituting the Infinity Saga, use action, humour and pathos as well as tight writing and spectacular special effects to trace the arcs of various Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and several associated superheroes.

I studied classical music for a few years at high school, never becoming accomplished but gaining an appreciation for several composers including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Coming as he did towards the end of the Classical Era of European music, Mozart challenged many of the strict conventions of the age and introduced passion and emotive qualities into his works, a tone that Romantic composers including Beethoven would build on. Tom Hulce's portryal of the mercurial genius, contrasted with F. Murray Abrahams' sombre and manipulative Salieri, was a sight-and-sound-experience from which I couldn't turn.

Scorsese's 1990 biographical gansgter movie about mafia associaye Henry Hill, is based on Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy. The film carries much of the gravitas of The Godfather but adds light and dark nuances that show the attractiveness of life in an organised crime syndicate, the darkness at its heart, and the cost on those who choose it. Ray Liotta is compelling while Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Paul Sorvino deliver authentic performances with very diverse styles.

Impossible to choose a favourite from the consistently high-performing animation studio. Beginning in 1995 with the groundbreaking Toy Story, Pixar introduced innovative technologies and methods for bringing visually rich stories to life. But the most powerful part of Pixar's work is their storytelling. Authentic scripts, deftly structured plots and deeply sympathetic characters still make these movies must-watch for my kids (now adults) and me.

An iconic opening that visually contrasts humantiy's past with its potential future, is set to Richard Strauss's the majestic Also sprach Zarathustra. The ending is a psychedelic sequence implying human contact with an alien intelligence but leaves plenty of room for audience speculation about the meaning. And between, a classic human Vs machine space thiller. This ground-breaking sci-fi might not have the Sith or the Borg, but the polite insubordination of the HAL 9000, is just as chilling. 

Not too many movies do thorough justice to their source novels* in the way this Robert Mulligan-directed adaptation does. Led by a powerful performance by Gregory Peck - who is deftly upstaged by ten-year-old Mary Badham. Given the authenticy of their on-screen relationship, I was never surprised that the two actors remained close for the rest of Peck's life.
(*The Shawshank Redemption, and Blade Runner are two others.) 

The best Christmas movie ever made, was the sequel of the second best. Nothing more needs saying, other than "Yippee Ki‐Yay..."

Bruce Willis' portrayal of Dr Malcom Crowe in M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller is understated and mesmerising. And quietly upstaged by 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment's desperately vunlerable Cole Sear. Osment's tearful confession, "I see dead people," remains one of the most chilling and quotable lines in any movie. I won't discuss the final twist, though. If you haven't yet seen the movie, you won't thank me, and if you have, then you won't need me to.

The Spielberg comedy adventure, about self-described con-artist turned-FBI-consultant Frank Abagnale Jr, and his nemesis (renamed Carl Hanratty for the movie) features snappy pacing, a tight screenplay and engaging performances by  Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Perfectly pitched support comes from Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, and James Brolin. That the historical accuracy of Abagnale's semi-autobiographical work is contested, is not surprising, but doesn't detract at all from the entertainment value of the film.

So many great performances to choose from, by the late and very missed Robin Williams. But it's hard to find a better example of his mix of humour and pathos, than this portayal of English teacher John Keating, challenging the conservative opression of school and family power in the 1950s. Just as his character moves his students deeply, Williams does the same to us as we watch him lead an ensemble of young talent, including Ethan Hawke and a very young Robert Sean Leonard.

Of all the versions of this dark adaptation of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Final Cut is the only one in which Ridley Scott had complete artistic control. Apart from re-including the violent scenes that marked the International theatre release, this version includes the full unicorn dream, which is a central device to encourage the audience to ponder the movie/book's central question of what it takes for an entity to be considered human.

I'm gonna need a bigger webpage if I keep recalling movies that had a singificant impact on me. I was nine years old and my older brother convinced my mother to take the two of us to see Spielbergwhat even now I find a confrontingly scary and gory movie. Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss portray flawed heroes who combine their differences to make an effective team whole Robert Shaw plays the unsettling Captain Quint and Murray Hamilton offers a suitably dislikable mayor Vaughann.

"I'll be back," Arnie told us and he was, for a total of six movies in the classic cyberpunk franchise. But in the original, his deadpan relentlessness set the tone for just how terrifying we would consider the threat of technology becoming both self-aware and hostile.  

Cult classic musical comedy led by John Belushi and Dan Akroyd, featuring outstanding performances of iconic numbers, and unforgettable contributions from soul and R&B stars James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. Add in support roles from Carrie Fisher, John Candy and Kathleen Freeman plus cameos from Twiggy, Steven Spielberg, Frank Oz, Chaka Khan and director John Landis, and there is nothing in this frenetic romp not to love.